Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/780804
32 SMT Magazine • February 2017 customer who wants to know whether or not something will meet a specific number of cy- cles, or a specific range, then we can run it for them. For instance, we had an enquiry where the customer was looking at a -40°C to 160°C temperature range for a product and had three weeks to make a decision and we managed to turn the testing around in just two weeks giving the customer a whole week to evaluate the data. The new system is also becoming increasingly beneficial for automotive customers, especially as they transition from solvent-based materials to VOC-free alternatives. Given that most of the products that we're developing are VOC-free, and thermal shock is one of the main challeng- es to this technology, it naturally makes sense to invest in the equipment not only for custom- ers, but for our own product development, to help us reduce the time to market of reliable, high-performance materials. Testing our prod- ucts before they go to market is everything, and ultimately positions us well as a reliable and complete solutions provider across all areas of the production process. ELECTROLUBE HIGHLIGHTS LATEST TECHNOLOGIES Las Marias: What are some of the latest technolo- gies released by Electrolube over the past year that are helping customers address their specific prob- lems? Kinner: Traditionally, we have our resin busi- ness and we have our coating business. What we've done is merge the two divisions together to make a hybrid product called 2K, so it has the protection of an encapsulation resin with the ease of application and reduced weight demands of a conformal coating. It's a pretty revolution- ary product—it's green, solvent-free, easy to ap- ply, cures quickly and gives superior protection to any other coatings that are available on the market right now. The product helps custom- ers save time, reduce cost and improve produc- tivity. It's a thicker material that enables better edge coverage without compromising on ther- mal shock or other performance parameters. It helps increase productivity by reducing materi- al usage, cost and cycle time and improves pro- cess optimization and reliability. 2K features all the advantages of the coating and all the ad- vantages of encapsulation resins combined into one package, which really solves both environ- mental performance and process issues that re- late to all of these issues. The 2K two part con- formal coating range currently consists of three products; 2K100, 2K300 and 2K500, and we are in the process of developing new products to extend the series. We have also developed an ultra-thin coat- ing called FPC, which also helps boost produc- tivity. FPC is a specialist fluorinated polymer coating that repels hydrocarbon and silicone oils, synthetic fluids and aqueous solutions due to its very low surface energy. It performs ex- tremely well, offering excellent protection for printed circuit boards and electronics in ex- posed environments. Once dried, FPC has a low film strength and is easily removed, allowing assemblies to be coated without masking. It's also very easy to apply and has an exceptionally fast-touch dry time. Our new selective conformal coating system, equipped with both film coat and spray valves, is an advanced conveyorized platform provid- ing the highest quality and productivity for au- tomated coating processes. A wide range of con- Phil Kinner